Sunday, July 4, 2010

Lessons From The Billboard Campaign

I have learned a few lessons the hard way, which seems to be the only way I am able to learn anything. The billboard that we put up in Charlotte on Billy Graham Parkway was one of those hard-lessons-learned. I found out some depressing, interesting, and wonderful things about our fair city, which can be described as having one foot in 2030 and one foot (and the brain) in 1330. The city seems to want to march towards the future, destroying all of its old landmarks to make way for the new. The religious, however, are stuck. Their religion doesn’t change. It doesn’t progress. It feeds on the hopes of good people and turns them in to scared, irrational, and hate-filled pawns. So, I guess you could say the first thing I learned was resolve. I will wear my atheism on my sleeve and will not let anyone scare me back into hiding.

The people of Charlotte had always seemed a mixed bag to me. I knew that there was a huge religious population here, but I also knew that there were some very loving and understanding people. I thought, somewhat naively, that our message would be seen for what it was: a positive message to let the city know that we, the Charlotte Atheists & Agnostics, are here. However, our mere presence in this city is seen as an affront to all religious people, which brings up the same old question of “What is it about atheist that people hate so much?” So, my second lesson that I learned is that people don’t often act as we hope, they are more likely to act as we fear.

There were some horrible things said during this billboard campaign. We were told that we weren’t real Americans; we were told that we should leave this country and go to Russia, as if that were some sort of utopia to strive for; we were told that we were bad people, not because of our actions but because of our existence; and we were told by others in the atheist community that we had brought this one ourselves by being vociferous with our obviously offensive sign. Some of our members received death threats of a nature too brutal to mention in detail. Their security was threatened and their children were threatened. My third lesson is that people are depraved and willing to kill over belief and that which scares them. Not fear in a tangible sense, like having your family’s life threatened, but in the sense that everything they believe could be wrong.

There were some wonderful messages from across the country in support of our message. Christians, Hindus, even one case of a man who described himself as a devout Muslim, came out and said “We agree with your message and it needs to be said.” The support from the religious community has been surprising and welcome. My fourth lesson is that there are a surprising number of religious people who understand the issue of church-state separation. The people that understand this issue need to grab the reins of power from the god-fearing, hate mongering leaders of their community if they wish to be taken seriously. Living in a 1330 mindset is going to do nothing more than expose the frauds of the religious community to be nothing more than rabble-rousers, inciting good people to do terrible things.

Our community here has grown tremendously since the message went out that there are atheists in North Carolina. Membership in the Charlotte Atheists & Agnostics has grown to over 800 members. I have heard countless stories of the “I thought I was alone” or the “I couldn’t imagine other freethinkers living in North Carolina” type. When you hear the relief in the voice of someone who knows that there is a community of people who will accept them, it makes the whole campaign worthwhile. There are people who had given up on finding others like themselves, feeling forced to smile and nod at the religions that were foisted on them every day. They now know that there is a place for them to vent, and place to be happy, and a place to find support when dealing with the mega-church that is Charlotte. My final lesson is that hiding our true nature leads to a solitary life, which is no way to live. People need to be comfortable with who they are without someone in a pointy hat telling them they are bad for thinking, or some guy in a turban telling them they need to cover themselves, or someone in a suit and tie telling them they are going to burn in hell for being human.

This campaign was a success. It was worth every bit of hate-mail, every late-night call from some 13 year old girl reciting the pledge of allegiance, every death threat, and every bit of vandalism. We have made it through an interesting time and are stronger for it.

We are atheists, agnostics, humanists, secularists, and freethinkers. We are here to stay.

29 comments:

This: "Their security was threatened and their children were threatened." is what freaks me out the most down here and why, even though I want to fight the good fight, I find myself quieting down about my non-belief. And, it pisses me off that I (and people like me) can't just be FREE here. Hypocrisy - alive and well in Charlotte. Thankfully, there are plenty of people, like the ones you described, who see beyond the insanity and understand reality.Thank you for everything you've done, Will. You rock.

As a Christ follower I want to apologize for any hatred or threats made against you in the name of religion or "Christianity". This kind of behavior is exactly what God came to earth as a man to destroy. I guarantee you that Christ would not have condoned the defacing of your billboard. He would have let you say what you want to say and then gently and lovingly spoke the truth to you. He never would have forced it on you or made threats until you believed. He was about giving love, giving truth and then letting us decide for ourselves.

You may not have heard, but the one true God actually hates religion because it is about men and their power and not about His glory. Sorry again if this whole thing made you angry and pushed you and others further away from God. Sometimes I can't blame you...

I'm a native Charlottean and a spiritual mish-mosh who also considers herself to be a freethinker. I agree with those who say your message needs to be put out there. I support your decision -- and right -- to do so wholeheartedly.

You will also find that you will get more hate mail and threats from the so-called religious right just for expressing your views on any board. The right of being entitled to religious freedom should also include the right to believe anyway a person chooses regardless of what the purists feel is acceptable.

One thing I have noticed when debating religious beliefs is that people get angry when you challenge their religion.

The one thing that all religions have in common is the belief that their particular belief system is the truth and everyone else's is a superstitious delusion born of ignorance and so people must be brought to the truth.

I proudly support your group and look forward to joining in the near future. I am out of town now in Florida but will return next year. Just remember, there are A LOT of us out here and it is time to join together...FOREVER!

A BIG and intolerant lesson still exists from the secularists - they believe in church-state separation fantasy and are and always will be anti-religious bigots . . . sadly. But this is your problem and please keep these problems to yourselves.

You are FREE to believe what you want and w/o any interference towards people that believe in God, whatever. This is called R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

No religious person tells or dictates what you should believe in so where the hell do you get off telling religious people they can't profess their beliefs in public like protesting abortion, installing morality in politics, or even the National Day of Prayer?

Oh yes, your secular arrogance and stupidity was displayed prominently by the name of the most popular Christian ever - Billy Graham.

It saddens me to see all the controversary surrounding religion. I know that God is unhappy w/the way we are treating each. I respect that you want to believe your way & trust you respect my belief system in return. I was offended w/the billboard but I would never threaten anyone because of it. I didn't think it was right to mess w/something many Americans hold dear. If you don't like the saying then why not create one that the Atheist can hold dear? I feel history is that, history. It's great to move forward but I think it would of been less offense if you would of made up your own slogan & not messed w/one that's been a part of American history. I respect you as an American & you can believe what you want but I ask sincerely that you don't change what I hold dear. Make up your own historical slogan & run w/it. You're entitled to do that.

In return we should all learn to respect, love & accept each other for who we are, not what we believe.

Instead of messing w/existing historial documents that many hold dear, why not create your own & run w/it. I believe that could help everyone get along Moving forward is great, further your cause by creating your own billboards, sayings & historical documents. I will respect others beliefs & way of life and in return request that they respect mine, I felt offended because the document was changed. I wouldn't of minded at all if you'd made up your own. I'm sorry about the threats. We should all be able to live in peace & without fear. I would never want my kids or family threatened & I'm sorry there were some that were.

True it was added but it was a positive addition. Why mess w/something so positive. Again, instead of messing w/it make up your own please. I'm not changing your stuff, pls. don't change what I hold dear.

Tammy - that's the conundrum - atheists and agnostics did not think that it was a positive addition because of the religious aspect. I believe that the 9th Circuit in SF ruled the statement unconstitutional in 2002 (still pending, I think).

Honestly, if the sign did not have NCSecular.org on it or the massive media coverage, I would have taken the sign as a generic patriotic billboard ("Power of Pride", "United We Stand," etc).

My one point back to you is that every church has a sign or mini-billboard outside and some of those messages are directed at non-believers in a derogatory way (for example, Turn or Burn).

I did not have any direct involvement with the billboard so I can't speak to the words that were chosen.

It always amazes me that the very people who spout American pride and seem to feel that if they shout someone down they have won a non-existent battle are the very people who are history-ignorant. Instead of reading, they gather their information from the gossip game. We all played that in primary school, right? We all knows what happens to the message when it's whispered, not read. It's a real shame that such people think it's cool to put their ignorance on display, it's harmful to our city and adds to people's never-ending list of reasons for calling the south backwards. There are plenty of freethinkers in Charlotte. Once we bypass the fear of being shouted down by the ill informed, I think we will be able to have a conversation about our differences. Let's just keep inching forward ... together.

The Atheist is always moaning about 'fairness', 'respect' and 'freedom' to believe what you want to believe. Yet, oftentimes you call Christians fools, narrow-minded or God-filled hate mongers for holding their beliefs true. Why don't you try exercising the respect and free-mindedness that you herald so loudly? Why don't you respect the fact that this is a Christian society, where the majority of the population hold Christian beliefs? NO religion is banned or attacked under the constitution - yet Christianity is attacked and belittled everyday without recourse. As a matter of fact it seems that Christianity is the ONLY religion whereby anyone can attack or villify on a daily basis it seems.

You say that you are logical/rational thinking people, then show some rationale in knowing that attacking a creed of the nation (Christian based or not) is derogatory, offensive and direspectful. I think it laughable that you purposefully intend to taunt ("The campaign was a success") and then turn around and say "oh people reacted badly." What a joke! I would laugh the same way if you went out and poked a sleeping pitbull with a pole, and then started crying when he turned around and bit you.

I am not condoning threats, vandalism or any other bad behavior. Neither am I here to defend "religion." I am here as a Christian, defending MY right to worship without derision. It seems you are not going to be satisfied until we are no longer "under" God, which you will be surprised to find out that we would be in a whole lot worse situation if we were not blessed. Be careful what you wish for. Anyway, I will close by using a well known Christian belief - treat others the way you want to be treated. Show some respect, and maybe you will get some in return.

The founding fathers never intended for religion (or lack thereof) to get into a huge pissing contest. Their intent was making sure America didn't get into the whole "Church Of England" fiasco after the separation from Catholicism i.e. if you were a Presbyterian, then go an presbyteriate. As a Christian, I am content to celebrate my Christianity as the agnostic/atheist community should be free to abstain. Where we feel threatened, is when the agnostic/atheist community feels compelled to get up in arms because a high school can't put all the graduating class in their auditorium with family, and uses a church's auditorium for merely logistical reasons, and someone somewhere feels "uncomfortable" and sues ruining things for everyone. We also feel uncomfortable when long standing holidays rooted in our faith have to changed around to avoid the offense of less than 1% of the total folks involved. I'm a Christian, but I don't really care if some segment chooses to celebrate Kwanzaa, or Chanukah, or Ramadan. If their celebrations don't mean anything to me, at least it brings diversity to the community and we could all use a dose of that.

I don't really take to either side in this. I know a ton of christians who become anything but when faced with people who disagree with them. I lump them and the in your face, atheists I know who take great pleasure in belittling peoples' faith. Both are totally intolerant of anyone who doesn't share their belief. What I took from the billboard (although it may not have been the intent) was that despite our differences we are all on the same team as American citizens. I must wonder what the folks spewing such hate and committing acts of vandalism in Christ's name think they are accomplishing. Surely they do not think such behavior entices others to search out or embrace their religion. Personally, I never read of Jesus acting in such a manner. Maybe those behaving in such a way should examine how their actions measure up to the ideal they claim to believe in. I also wonder what they hope to accomplish. If you bully someone into following your beliefs but their heart isn't in it, what gain is there? Just thinking out loud. I was raised in a religion that taught me my allegiance was first to god and that the government of man was secondary and none of our concern. We were also just as importantly taught not to disrespect those who felt differently. That religion is very big on spreading the word of god but never on forcing it upon others. While my beliefs have changed with time, that respect of others hasn't. I wish more people shared that ideal. We all need to keep in mind freedom of speech doesn't just apply to those who agree with us.

I never saw the billboard as I don't drive over where it is posted, but it is a shameful comment that so-called "Christians" have come out of the woodwork in such an awful display of exactly the opposite of what the true spirit of God is.

Just remember that as with every group, there will be some who choose a spectacularly awful way to try to express their views. Don't lump us all under one umbrella; some of us have far better sense and respect.

Likewise--I suppose everyone feels picked on these days. If you want to be accepted, accept others and don't diminish their beliefs as bunk.

"Anyway, I will close by using a well known Christian belief - treat others the way you want to be treated." ...actually, the "Golden Rule" pre-dates Christianity by a couple thousand years, showing up in not only earlier belief systems, but also philosophical texts and other stories.